The 

BiTTLE  MIXER 


NICHOLSON  SHEARON 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


By 


LILLIAN   NICHOLSON   SHEARON 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1922 
BY  THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 


Printed  in  the   United  States  of  America. 


PRESS  OF 

BRAUNWORTH  A  CO. 

BOOK  MANUFACTURERS 

BROOKLYN,   N.   Y. 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


2075577 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


l€ 

m 


T 


'HERE  was  no  fault  to  be  found 

with    the    present    itself;    the^J 
trouble  lay  in  the  method  of  trans-' 
\  portation.    This  thought  was  definite 
:nough  in  Hannah's  mind,  but  she 
lad  to  rely  upon  a  seven-year-old  vo- 
^cabulary  for  expression,  and  grown- 
ups are  notably  dull  of  comprehen- 
sion.     Even   mothers   don't   always 
understand   without  being  told   ex- 
actly in  so  many  words. 

"I  didn't  say  the  kimono  wasn't 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


J> 


nice,    Mama,' 
"and 


explained  Hannah, 
'course  Cousin  Carrie  was 
awful  good  to  send  it  to  me,  but — 
but  Santy  Claus  is  going  to  bring 
Virginia  one  to-morrow  night,  down 
the  chimbley!" 

Rose   Joseph    slipped   the   absurd- 
little   garment  over   her   daughter's 
f/damty  lingerie  frock,  and  stood  her 

i 

MI  a  chair  that  she  might  view  her- 
in  the  narrow  mirror  between 
the  windows  of  the  living-room. 
The  child  was  as  lovely  as  a  flower, 
but  vanity  was  still  sound  asleep  in 
her  soul,  and  she  glanced  indiffer- 
ently at  the  reflection,  her  body  sag- 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER         3 

ging  with  disappointment.  "It  is 
just  like  those  little  Japanese  girls 
wear,"  her  mother  cried  in  that  over- 
enthusiastic  adult  tone  which  warns 
a  child  he  is  about  to  be  the  recipient 

of  a  gold  brick.     "I  am  sure  Vir-  ; 

fc  I 

ginia's  can't  be  any  nicer  than  thisv 

one!" 
*/•    "But,  Mama,  Santy  Claus  is  going  * 

bring  hers   down   the  chimbley. 
*Xt31ine" — her    voice     dropped    to    a 

»  « 

mournful  key — "mine  came  through 
the  door!" 

"But,  darling,  what  difference 
does  that  make  just  so  you  get  it?" 

Pity  for  her  mother's  barren  child- 


4         THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

hood  shone  in  Hannah's  soft  black 
eyes.  "That's — that's  no  way  for 
presents  to  come,"  she  explained; 
"Mama,  it's  Chris'mus." 

"It  is  Chanuca,"  Mrs.  Joseph  re- 
sponded firmly.  "Remember  you  are 
a  Jewess,  dear." 

"I  can't  never  forget  it,"  said  the 
?/£hild    with    a    catch    in    her    voice, 

'specially  at  Chris'mus." 
^  "But,  darling,  the  Jewish  children 
have   Chanuca;  it  comes  about  the 
same  time  as  Christmas,  and  amounts 
to  the  same  thing." 

Hannah   shook  her  bronze   curls. 
'Chanuca  is  because  the  children  of 


j) 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


Israel  took  Jerusalem  and  the  temple 
away  from  the  bad  people,"  she  re- 
cited glibly,  "and — and  you  say 
prayers,  and  light  candles — eight 
days,  and — and  all  your  uncles  and 
aunts  and  cousins  send  you  things, 
but  Santy  Claus,  he  don't  pay  any 
'tention  to  Chanuca.  Chris'mus  . 

•JAs  just  one  day,  and  Santy  Clausal 
"/  • 

tomes  down  the  chimbley  and  brings 

^ 
j  ^ 

^things  to  all  good  children — 'cept 
little  Jews — because  it  is  the  birthda] 
of  our  Saviour." 

Mrs.   Joseph   was   silent   so  long 
that  Hannah  felt  she  had  convinced 

her  mother  of  the  superiority  of  the 

^=^^^ 


6         THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

Gentile  Christmas  over  the  Jewish 
Chanuca,  and  she  continued  more  in 
detail.  "And  the  children's  kinfolks 
just  give  Santy  Claus  money,  and  tell 
him  what  to  buy,  and  he  brings  the 
presents,  and  nobody  has  to  bother 
about  it  'cept  him." 

; 

"Hannah,"  Mrs.  Joseph  interrupted 
//coldly,  "who  told  you  about  the  birth- 
lay  of — of  the  Saviour?" 

"Nellie  Halloran,"  answered  Han- 
'nah,  "and  Virginia,  too.    They've- 
they've  got  the  same  one." 
"The  same  what?" 
"The  same  Saviour,"  Hannah  ex- 
plained. 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER         7 

"Darling,  hasn't  Mama  told  you 
many  times,  that  you  must  never, 
never  talk  about  religion  to  Nellie 
and  Virginia?" 

"Oh,  we  don't,  Mama,  never,  never ! 
But  'course  we  got  to  talk  about 
Santy  Claus,  and  things." 

There  seemed  to  be  no  reasonable 
/objection  to  that,  so  Mrs.  Joseph 
Cropped  the  subject.  She  spent  a 
S^picat  deal  of  time  folding  the  de- 

•  « 

spised  and  rejected  kimono  into  its 
tissue-paper  wrappings.  Presently 
she  brought  a  narrow  parcel  from" 
another  room. 

"See  what  Uncle  Aaron  has  sent 


8         THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

you,  dear,"  she  cried  gaily.  "A  little 
man;  you  wind  him  up  in  the  back 
with  this  key — so — and  then  he 
dances  and  plays  the  fiddle!" 

Hannah  forced  a  polite  giggle  at 
the  little  man's  antics.  He  too  rested 
under  the  ban  of  having  come 
through  the  door,"  and  her  atten- 
soon  wandered. 

Nellie  got  a  jumping- jack  in  the 
top  of  her  stocking  last  Chris'- 
mus;  'cause  she's  such  a  jumping-' 
jack  herself,  her  papa  said.  You 
know,  Mama,  Santy  Claus  puts  nuts 
and  candy,  and  little  things  in  your 
stocking  and  puts  your  big  things  all 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER         9 

around  the  room.  Sometimes  he 
brings  a  tree  and  hangs  them  all  on 
a  tree.  Virginia  and  Nellie  want  a 
tree  and  a  new  doll.  Virginia  gets  a 
new  doll  every  Chris'mus,  and  she's 
got  every  doll  Santy  ever  brought 
her — even  her  little,  baby,  rubber^ 
doll.  She's  eight  years  old  and  will  J^ 
^rhave  eight  dolls!  But  Nellie  ain't 
'./r- hasn't  saved  a  single  one,  and  she's 

//  ^ 

^/scared  she  won't  get  one  this  Chris'- 
irmus — awful  scared." 

"Why,  dear?"  asked  Mrs.  Joseph, 
when  Hannah  paused  for  breath. 

"Because  the  doll  Santy  brought 
Nellie    Jast    Chris'mus,    you    know 


J 


io       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

what?  She  was  playing  Indian  with 
her  brother  one  day,  and  chopped  her 
head  off!  And  Nellie's  mama  says 
she  don't  know  whether  old  Santy's 
going  to  forget  that  or  not!  But 
Nellie,  she  says  she  prays  hard  to 
the  Virgin  Mary  every  night — if  she 
don't  go  to  sleep  too  quick.  Mama, 
/^what's  a  virgin?  Mama,  what's — " 

"A  virgin  is  a  lady  who  has  never 
jen  married,"  answered  Mrs.  Joseph, 
the  neglected  musician  back_ 
into  his  box. 

Hannah  wrestled  alone  for  a  mo- 
ment with  a  mighty  ecclesiastical 
problem,  and  then  gave  it  up. 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER        1 1 

"The  Virgin  Mary  is  God's 
mother,"  Hannah  continued.  "That's 
her  picture  over  our  fireplace," — 
pointing  to  a  copy  of  a  crude  thir- 
teenth century  Madonna  and  Child  in 
a  carved  Gothic  frame,  which  Eli  £ 

•$! 

and  Rose  Joseph  had  bought  in  ItalyffJ 

WL> 

while  on  their  wedding  trip.    Flanked^ 
/now   by   candles   burning   in   silver" 

Tgj 

U'/^candelabra  in  honor  of  Chanuca,  it  \ 
/gave  the  mantel   a  passing  resem- 


to  a  Catholic  shrine. 
"I  don't  think  God's  mother  is  very 
pretty,  do  you,  Mama?    And  I  think 
Nellie's  little  brother  is  a  heap  pret- 
tier'n  God  was  when  He  was  a  baby." 


12       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


j) 


Mrs.  Joseph  showed  signs  of  hav- 
ing reached  the  limit.  "Hannah," 
she  said  firmly,  "it  is  time  you  were 
in  bed." 

"But,  Papa  hasn't  come  home  yet." 
"Papa  will  be  late  to-night,  dear." 

j 

"The     Chris'mus     rush,"     sighedj 

** 

Hannah.    "Mama,  you  haven't  looked^ 
own  my  throat  to-day,"  she  added, 


?/^playing  for  time. 

,  Mrs.  Joseph  went  through  the 
daily  ritual.  "It  looks  all  right,"  she 
pronounced. 

"It  is  all  right,"  came  the  trium- 
phant answer.  "It  is  never  going  to 
be  sore  again.  Virginia  says  -  " 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       13 

"Never  mind  what  Virginia  says. 
If  your  throat  ever  hurts  you  the 
least  little  bit,  you  are  to  come  to  me 
instantly  and  tell  me.  Do  you  un- 
derstand ?" 

"Yes,  Mama,  but  it  isn't  going  to 
hurt  any  more,"  Hannah  insisted. 

"Come  on  up-stairs  to  bed." 

Still  Hannah  hung  back.  She  had 
fot  played  her  trump  card  yet,  and 
time  was  short.  She  caught  her 
lother's  slim  white  hand  in  hers  and 
fingered  nervously  at  the  rings. 
"Mama,"  she  almost  whispered, 
"Virginia  says  it's  Jewish  mamas' 
fault  that  Santy  Claus  don't  come  to 


14       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

see  Jewish  children.  If  the  mamas 
would  just  go  to  Santy  and  tell  him 
to  come —  You  will,  won't  you,  Ma- 
ma? Please,  Mama!'9 

"Hannah,  not  another  word  about 
Christmas  and  Santy  Claus — not —  J 
another — word !" 

Hannah  swallowed  something  that 
i^/came    in    her    throat,    and    bravely  ^ 

inked  back  her  tears.  "Can't  Mandy 
me  to  bed  ?" 

No,  dear;  Mandy  is  busy  in  the 
kitchen.  Mama  will  put  you  to  bed 
and  tell  you  stories."  She  bent  down 
and  kissed  the  child  tenderly. 

Hannah  flung  her  arms  about  her 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       1 5 

mother's  neck.  She  loved  the  feel  of 
the  soft  throat  and  the  gently  curving 
bosom  against  her  little  cheek,  and 
the  fragrance  of  her  mother's  hair 
and  silken  laces.  She  didn't  know 
that  her  mother  looked  like  a  portrait 
by  Raphael,  but  she  did  know  that-^' 
her  mama  was  the  prettiest,  sweetest^ 
//mama  in  all  the  world;  and  yet —  ,, 
'Mama,  I'm  so  tired  of  stories 
:  the  children  of  Israel.  They 
never  did  anything  funny.  Mand] 
tells  me  tales  about  the  old  plan- 
tashun,  when  her  ma  was  a  slave,  and 
about  ole  Marse,  and  ole  Mis'  going 
to  town  and  giving  Santy  Claus 


16       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


money  so's  he'd  bring  beads  and 
'juice*  harps  and  things  to  the  little 
niggers;  and  he  never  forgot  one, 
from  the  biggest  to  the  littlest  darky, 
Santy  didn't." 

The  child's  body  began  to  tremble 

with  repressed  sobs.    "I — I  wisht  I 

was    a — &    little    darky!      It's — it's 

^awful — sad  to  be  a  little  Jewish  child 

it  Chris'mus  time." 

And  then  the  storm  broke. 

•*•• 

-    Two  hours  later  Eli  Joseph's  tire( 
step   sounded  on  the  veranda,   and 
Rose  hurried  to  admit  him,  lifting  a 
silencing  hand   as   soon   as  he   had 
crossed  the  threshold.    "Hannah  has 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       17 

just  gone  to  sleep,"  she  whispered. 
"No— no,  she's  not  sick  at  all."  He 
placed  an  arm  around  her  and  drew 
her  into  the  library. 

"Eli,  your  overcoat  is  wet,"   she 
exclaimed,  untwining  her  arms  from 

t  his  neck. 
I 

'Snow,"  he  said,  his  good-looking 

foyish  face  lighting  up  with  pleasure. 
[t  seems  we  are  to  have  a  white 


after  all." 

'Christmas!"  she  cried;  "I  wish  I 
could  never  hear  that  word  again." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  it  comes  only  once 
a  year.  To-night  ends  my  siege, 
though.  To-morrow  night  Stein  goes 


i8       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

on  duty,  and  I  come  home  for  dinner 
to  stay.  Rose,  darling,  you  look  all 
tired  out.  You  shouldn't  wait  up  for 
me." 

"It  isn't  that.  It's  Hannah.  She 
cried  for  more  than  an  hour  to-night, 
P  and  but  for  Mandy  and  her  tales  I 
believe  she  would  still  be  crying." 
"And  she  detailed  the  scene  to  him. 

"But,  good  gracious,  Rose,  let  Santa 
^YClaus  bring  her  presents  to  her,"  said 
Eli,  when  she  had  finished.  "Han- 
nah's nothing  but  a  baby." 

"She  is  beginning  to  think  for 
herself." 

"As  you  did  at  a  very  early  age," 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       19 

he  reminded  her,  "and  your  father  the 
strictest  of  orthodox  rabbis.  How 
old  were  you  when  you  began  slipping 
off  to  the  reformed  temple?" 

"I  broke  my  father's  heart,"  she 
said    somberly.      "I'll    be    punished  |j 
through  Hannah." 

'Not  unless  you  let  Hannah  think 
/'faster  than  you  do.    And  remember," 

added  teasingly,  "if  you  hadn't  run 
"\t2ff  to  the  reformed  temple  you  would 

«•» 

never  have  met  me." 

"Outside,  at  the  foot  of  the  steps," 
she  recalled.  "I  would  never  have 
met  you  inside." 

'Maybe  I  am  lax,"  he  acknowl- 


& 


R.V 


20       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


edged,  "but  it  seems  to  me  that  if  you 
are  living  a  decent  life  yourself,  and 
giving  the  other  fellow  a  square  deal, 
you  are  pretty  nearly  fulfilling  the 
law  and  the  prophets." 

"And  what  do  you  suppose  is  hap- 
pening to  Hannah  with  a  Christian 
Science  family  on  one  side  and  Ro- 
man  Catholics  on  the  other?"  she 
demanded  tragically.  "She's  decided 

t  to  take  any  more  medicine,  be- 
cause  Virginia  Lawrence  doesn't. 
And  she  has  Nellie  Halloran's  every 
expression  about  the  Virgin  and  the 
Saviour.  Not  only  that,  but  she  has 
made  friends  with  a  Christian  Science 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       21 

practitioner  through  the  Lawrences, 
and  calls  him  'my  friend  Mr.  Jack- 
son/ She  runs  to  meet  him  and 
walks  the  length  of  the  block  with 
him  every  time  he  passes." 

"Hannah    is    certainly    a   natural  ,,| 
born    mixer,"    laughed    the    father.] 
"We  are  saving  ourselves  trouble  by 

^/giving  her  the  best  there  is  to  mix  «,Sj 
dth!" 

\/^»   "Eli,  I  am  afraid  we  made  a  mis- 

—• 

'take  moving  out  here,  away  from  all 
our  people." 

"No,  we  didn't  make  a  mistake,"  he 
declared  earnestly.  "The  Square 
was  no  place  to  bring  up  Hannah, 


5L      22       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

among  those  parvenu  Jews.  We  have 
the  prettiest  home  on  the  heights  and 
the  best  people  in  town  for  neighbors." 
"Our  child  is  losing  her  identity  as 
a  Jewess." 

"Let  her  find  it  again  as  an  Ameri- 
can," he  replied.     "Frankly,  Rose,  I 
don't  lose  any  sleep  over  trying  to 
^  ykeep  my  identity  as  a  Jew  intact.    If 
Jew  doesn't  like  it  here,  let  him  go 

'S 

-back  to  Palestine  or  to  the  country 
that  oppressed  him,  I  say.  I've  got 
same  amount  of  patience  with  these      jqj 
hyphenated  Americans  as  I  have  with 
the  Jews  who  try  to  segregate  them- 
selves and  dot  the  map  with   New 


J> 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       23 

Jerusalems.  Where's  the  sense  in 
throwing  yourself  into  the  melting- 
pot,  glad  of  the  chance,  and  then  kick- 
ing because  you  come  out  something 
different? — Come  on  to  bed,  dear; 
you  are  as  pale  as  a  ghost,  and  I'm 
so  tired  I  can't  see  straight.  Our 
baby  is  all  right.  Don't  you  worry." 

7 

/^  Snow  falls  on  the  just  and  the  un- 
st.  There  was  quite  as  much  of  it 
in  Hannah's  back  yard  as  in  either" 
Virginia's  or  Nellie's — perhaps  even 
a  little  more  had  drifted  into  the  fence 
corners.  Hannah's  joy  in  discover- 
ing that  in  this  respect  she  had  not 


24       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

been  slighted  crowded  her  troubles 
into  the  background.  Immediately 
after  breakfast,  bundled  up  snugly, 
she  stood  in  her  yard  and  threw 
snowballs  toward  her  neighbors' 
homes,  while  she  squealed  with  de- 
light. In  a  very  few  minutes,  three 
little  girls  were  playing  where  only 

e  had  played  before. 

The  two  newcomers,  Virginia 
^Lawrence  and  Nellie  Halloran,  pre- 
sented an  interesting  contrast.  Vir- 
ginia, slim,  and  tall  for  her  age,  with 
long,  flat,  yellow  braids,  handled  the 
snow  daintily,  even  gingerly.  Nellie, 
fat  and  dimpled,  her  curls  tousled 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       25 

into  a  flame  colored  halo,  rolled  over 
and  over  in  the  snow,  and  then  shook 
herself  like  a  puppy.     Until  the  ad- 
vent of  Hannah,  a  subtle  antagonism 
had  existed  between  the  two  children. 
Virginia's  favorite  game  was  playing 
"lady"  with  a  train  floating  grace-1 
fully  behind  her;  Nellie's  chief  joy, 
'/fin  life  was  seeing  how  long  she  could 
Bgv^&tand  on  her  head,  her  short  skirts 

Ws 

^xpbeying  the  laws  of  gravity  all  the 
while.     Hannah,   however,  vibratec 
obligingly   between   the  two   sports, 
and  kept  the  peace  inviolate. 

Romping  in  the  snow  is  hard  play, 
and  presently  the  little  girls  sat  pant- 


« 


26       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

ing  on  the  top  step  of  the  Josephs' 
back  porch.  Immediately  Nellie 
produced  a  string  of  amethyst  col- 
ored beads  from  her  coat  pocket, 
with  the  announcement  that  she 
would  say  her  prayers  while  resting. 

"What  kind  of  beads  are  those? 
asked  Hannah. 

"Rosary  beads,  'course,"  responded 

ellie.     "Hannah,   you   don't  know 
nything." 

"I  do,  too." 

"Huh !  you  didn't  even  know  about 
the  Mother  o'  God  until  I  told  you." 

"I  reckon  I  thought  God  was  an 
orphan,"  Hannah  pleaded  in  extenua- 


V 


/ 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       27 

tion.  "But,  what  about  God's  papa  ?" 
she  demanded  with  sudden  inspira- 
tion. "You're  so  smarty,  tell  me 
about  that !" 

"Oh,  God  didn't  have  to  have  a 

father,"     Nellie     answered     easily. 

"Everything  is  free  in  Heaven;  so 

He  didn't  have  to  have  a  father  to 

'/work  for  Him  when  He  was  little." 

"Then  why  did  He  have  to  have  a 


"To  tell  Him  what  to  do,  'course.- 
You  know  how  'tis.  If  you  ask  your 
papa  anything,  don't  he  always  say, 
'Go  ask  your  mama'?" 

Hannah  had  noticed  this  shifting 


28       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 


'% 


of  masculine  responsibility  more  than 
once.  "That's  so,"  she  acquiesced. 
Then  a  terrible  thought  struck  her. 
"I  don't  want  to  go  to  Heaven!  I 
don't  want  to  go  anywhere  unless  my 
papa  can  go  too." 

Nellie's    nimble    Irish    wits    were! 

j 
ready.    "I  just  said  God  didn't  need' 


•//any  papa.    'Course  our  papas  will  go  ^ 
to  Heaven,  'cause  that's  the  only  place 

>/-they   can   quit   working.      Didn't   I 
hear  my  papa  say  one  time  he  hope 
he'd  get  a  little  rest  in  Heaven,  'cause 
he  never  got  any  on  this  earth?" 

"But,  you  have  to  die  before  you 
can  get  to  Heaven,"  sighed  Hannah. 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       29 

Virginia,  who  had  been  maintain- 
ing a  most  dignified  silence,  looked 
as  if  she  must  speak  or  explode. 
"No  you  don't.  Heaven  begins  here 
and  now,"  she  recited.  "If  you  are 
good,  you  are  well  and  happy,  and 
that's  Heaven." 

Tisn't,"    scoffed    Nellie.      "Do 
rou  see  any  angels  flying  'round  in 
lis  here  yard?    I  don't." 

Hannah  rather  took  to  Virginia's 
rgument,  and  resolved  to  have 
conversation  with  her  some  time, 
undampened  by  Nellie's  skepticism. 
If  there  could  be  feasting  on  the 
joys  of  Heaven  here  and  now, 


30       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

Hannah  had  every  intention  of  being 
at  the  banquet  table.    At  the  present 
moment,  however,  the  rosary  beads 
were    of    fascinating    interest;    she 
must  hold  them  in  her  own  hands, 
and  watch  the  play,  of  purple  lights 
upon  the  snow  as  she  flashed  themlp 
in    the    sun.      Questions    about    the 
^/crucifix,  she  found,  brought  on  an 
^mbarrassing  silence.  Nellie  looked  at 
/yirginia.    Virginia  looked  at  Nellie. 
Then  the  two  excused  themselves  foi 
a  whispered  colloquy  at  the  other  end 
of  the  yard.     When  they  returned, 
Virginia  acted  as  spokesman,  fixing 
Nellie  with  an  unrelenting  eye. 


j 


ffir 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       31 

"That  is  Jesus  nailed  to  the  cross, 
Hannah.  Some  very  wicked  people 
did  it." 

There  was  nothing  exciting  in  this 
to  Hannah ;  wicked  people  were  doing 
wicked  things  the  world  over,  all  the 
time.  The  statement  fell  flat,  and 
Nellie,  disappointed  at  the  lack  of 
^dramatic  effect,  broke  treaty.  "I 
Aspect  the  Jews  did  it,"  she  said. 
;,  "They  did  not!"  Hannah's  voice 
"trembled.  "The  Jews  are  nice  peo-- 
ple;  they  wouldn't  do  a  wicked  thing 
like  that!" 

Virginia  put  an  arm  across  Han- 
nah's shoulders.  "Now  see  what 


32       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

you've  done,"  she  snapped  at  Nel- 
lie. 

"Oh,  I  'spect  the  Irish  helped  them," 
Nellie  added  magnanimously.  "My 
papa  says  the  Irish  are  into  every 
thing." 

Not  having  to  bear  the  ignominy} 
alone  Hannah  was  comforted.  "What! 

4| 

^/makes  you  say  prayers  on  the  beads?" 

'she  asked. 
'/ 

^  "  'Cause  I  want  Santy  to  bring  me 
a  doll  to-night.  I  wrote  him  'bout 
sixteen  letters,  and  I'm  going  to  say 
my  rosary  a  dozen  times  to-day." 

To-morrow  was  Christmas  Day! 
Hannah's  face  fell.  All  her  sorrows 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       33 

returned  with  a  rush.  "Have  you 
got  any  more  of  those  beads?"  she 
asked. 

"Yes,  but  they  wouldn't  do  you  any 
good,"  Nellie  answered  with  quick  un- 
derstanding. "You're  not  a  Catholic." 
'Couldn't  I  be  one?" 
'Not  unless  you're  baptized  with 

water.    The  priest  does  it." 
,The  leaven  had  begun  to  work. 

•"What  did  your  mama  say  about 

\  — — 

"asking  Santa  Claus  to  come?"  Vir- 
ginia inquired,  with  a  quick  glance 
toward  the  beads. 

Hannah  shook  her  head,  speech- 
less.   She  compressed  her  lips  into  a 


4 


< 


* 


34       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

tight  line  with  an  effort  at  self-con- 
trol, but  two  large  tears  rolled  down 
her  cheeks  and  splashed  on  her  scarlet 
coat.  Again  Virginia  placed  an  arm 
protectingly  across  Hannah's  shoulder. 
Nellie's  bright  blue  eyes  grew  soft 
with  pity.  "I  tell  you  what,"  she  ex- 
claimed.  "I'll  baptize  Hannah,  then 
^/she'll  be  a  Gentile,  and  Santa  Claus 
fill  come,  no  matter  what.  And  when 
mama  sees  how  nice  it  is,  she 
won't  care." 

"But,  you  said  a  priest  has  to  bap- 
tize anybody,"  objected  Virginia. 
"He  does  'less  it's  a  time  of  dan- 
and  you   can't  get   any   priest. 


ftfc 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       35 

Then  any  Catholic  can  baptize  any- 
body. My  mama  baptized  our  wash- 
erwoman's little  baby  'cause  they 
knew  it  was  going  to  die  before 
Father  Murphy  could  get  there.  And 
ain't  this  a  time  of  danger?" 

"Nobody's  dying."     Virginia  was 
distressingly  literal. 
//    Hannah  looked  from  one  friend  to 
ic  other,  hoping  against  hope. 

cNo,  but  there's  danger  Santa 
Claus  won't  come  to  see  Hannah 
less'n  sump'n  is  done  mighty  quick," 
came  Nellie's  ready  reply.  "And 
can  we  get  a  priest  ?  You  go  get  one, 
Virginia.  Go  get  one." 


36       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

Clearly  there  was   no  answer   to 
this.      The    ceremony    was    set    for 
early  afternoon  when  Grandmother 
Halloran  took  her   nap   and   Nellie 
could  borrow  the  bottle  of  holy  water 
from  her  shelf.    As  to  the  place,  there 
jjf  were  six  boys  at  the  Hallorans'  al- 
'ways  in  the  way ;  Mrs.  Lawrence  had 
iests;  obviously  the  baptismal  rite 
mid  have  to  be  performed  at  Han- 
ygah's  home.  After  lunch  the  children 
assembled  in  the  sun  parlor  of  the 
Josephs'  home,  in  full  view  of  Mrs. 
Joseph  who  sat  embroidering  in  the 
library,  the  French  door  closed  be- 
tween them,  so  that  she  did  not  hear. 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       37 

Nellie  had  secured  the  bottle  of 
holy  water,  and,  arrayed  in  her 
brother  Joe's  long,  black  rain-coat,  a 
towel  about  her  neck  for  a  stole,  acted 
as  priest.  Virginia,  not  to  be  left  out 
of  such  an  important  affair,  con- 
sented to  be  godmother.  In  lieu  of  ai 

prayer  manual,   Nellie  used  one  of; 

i 

^/Hannah's  story  books.     She  chose  a 
erse,  which,  because  she  knew  it  by 
she  could  read  exceptionally 


J 


"Little   boy   blue,    come    blow   your 

horn, 

The  sheep  are  in  the  meadow, 
And  the  cows  are  in  the  corn." 


38       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

Then  she  poured  a  little  of  the  holy 
water  on  Hannah's  forehead  (wet 
hair  might  occasion  unanswerable 
questions)  and  baptized  her  "Hannah 
Agnes  Ignatius  Joseph." 

Called  upon  for  a  response,  the 
godmother  recited  very  impressively 
the  Scientific  Statement  of  Being  as 

I/found  in  the  Christian  Science  text- 
>ok,  and  Hannah  was  pronounced  a 

^Gentile  and  a  Catholic. 

One  thing  more  remained  to  be- 
done.     Hannah  ran  to  her  mother, 
cheeks  aglow.    "Mama,  may  I  trade 
my  striped  ball  to  Nellie  for  some 
beads?" 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       39 

"Why  of  course,  darling,  if  you 
wish." 

The  exchange  was  made,  and  some 
time  was  spent  in  mastering  the  use 
of  the  rosary.    All  three  of  the  chil- 
dren knew  the  "Our  Father,"  though 
there  was  some  difference  of  opinion 
as  to  "debts"  and  "trespasses"  which 
/fe  apt  to  hold  in  all  mixed  congrega- 
^ions.     The  "Hail  Mary"  proved  a 
^it   difficult  for   Hannah,   and   she 
"finally    abandoned    it.       "I'll    say,- 
'Hear,  oh  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God, 
the  Lord  is  One/  "  she  said.    "I  al- 
ready know  that,  and  a  prayer  is  a 
,prayer,  isn't  it?" 


j) 


40       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

Nellie  refilled  the  holy-water  bottle 
from  the  kitchen  hydrant,  and  hur- 
ried home  to  replace  it  before  her 
grandmother  should  awaken.  Han- 
nah spent  the  next  hour  lying  flat  on 
her  stomach  printing  letters,  appeal- 
ing to  Virginia  from  time  to  time  for 
aid  as  to  the  spelling,  Virginia  being 
very  superior  speller. 
Mrs.  Joseph  was  busy  with  callers 
rhen  Virginia  went  home,  and 
[annah  was  left  to  her  own  devices.- 
Suddenly  she  thought  of  one  stone 
that  had  been  left  unturned:  there 
was  her  friend  Mr.  Jackson  to 
whom  the  Lawrences  always  appealed 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       41 

in  time  of  stress.  She  knew  the 
formula,  she  knew  his  number,  for 
on  the  list  by  the  Lawrences'  tele- 
phone, his  name,  like  Abou-ben-Ad- 
hem's,  led  all  the  rest.  "Main  1234," 
it  was  as  easy  as  counting.  She 
slipped  into  the  telephone  closet  and|;1 
closed  the  door. 
'  There  was  no  trouble  with  Hannah  ^ 
night.  She  went  to  bed  early, 
didn't  care  to  have  any  stories 
told — she  could  go  to  sleep  by  herself  r 
"Quite  a  change  of  heart,  eh  ?"  Eli 
commented  to  Rose,  as  they  sat  by 
the  living-room  fire  after  telling  their 
little  girl  good  night. 


J) 


42       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

"She  has  been  like  that  all  day,  play- 
ing as  happily  as  you  please,"  Rose  re- 
sponded. "I  suppose  she  got  it  all  out 
of  her  system  in  last  night's  scene." 
Eli  drummed  abstractedly  on  the 
arm  of  his  chair :  "I  don't  feel  quite 
right  about  it,  even  so,"  he  said. 

"Maybe  you  will  think  me  incon- 
^/sistent,"  she  confessed,  flushing,  "but 
tannah  was  so  indifferent  about  the 
^/presents  sent  her  for  Chanuca,  I  only 
^showed  her  two.  I've  saved  th 
others  to  give  her  Christmas  Day,  so 
she  will  have  something  of  her  own 
to  show  when  the  other  children 
bring  theirs  over." 


+J& 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       43 

Eli  didn't  seem  any  too  pleased. 
Toor  little  mite,"  he  murmured. 


"His-st!    Missis  Joseph!" 

It  was 'Bridget,  the  Hallorans*  old 
family  servant,  calling  softly  from 
the  hall. 

"I'll  be  after  takin'  the  prisintsf 
I.  .ye've  stored  away  for  us.    I'll  lave  , 
'em  on  the  back  porch  'n'  carry  'em  J 
^over  when  the  childer  are  all  asleep. 
'Nellie's  in  bed  like  a  little  angel 
bless  5er  heart,  but  them  divilish  b'ys 
do  be  a-snoopin'  into  ivery  crack  'n' 
corner !" 

Mrs.    Joseph    unlocked    a    closet 


•  : 


44       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

tinder  the  stairs,  and  loaded  Bridget's 
amis  with  heavy  and  bulky  parcels. 

"Shure,  an'  'tis  a  sad  Chris'mus 
we'll  be  havin',  savin'  the  childer. 
'Mr.'  Timmy,  him  that's  old  Missis 
Halloran's  youngest,  but  old  enough 
to  know  better,  he  ups  an'  runs  away 
to-day  an'  marries  a  Protestant  gir-rl.  :•; 
'//An'  if  ye'll  open 'y'r  windy  the  bit  av 
crack,  ye'll  hear  the  poor  old  lady 
is  minit,  wailin'  like  a  banshee." 

«• 

"But  Mr.  Timothy  is  such  a  nic 
young  man,  he  must  have  married  a 
lovely  girl,  Bridget,"  said  Rose. 

"Shure,  an'  that  may  be,  but  she  is 
a   Protesta'nt,   Missis   Joseph.     She 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       45 

runs  away  fr'm  her  folks,  an'  he  runs 
away  fr'm  his,  an'  they  get  married 
by  a  justice  o'  peace.  An'  no  peace 
will  come  o'  such  doin',  Lord  've 
mercy  on  their  souls !" 

"Oh,  poor  Grandma  Halloran !" 
"Poor    lovers,"    said    Eli,    when 
;  Bridget  had  gone.    "I'll  wager  they  U 
fad  the  very  deuce  of  a  time  with 
)th  sides." 

b  sooner  had  they  settled  them- 
selves again  than  the  door  knocker 
sounded.  Eli  admitted  Mr.  Jackson, 
the  Christian  Science  practitioner. 

"I  have  only  a  minute,"  he  said. 
"I  just  dropped  by  to  leave  a  doll  my 


% 


46       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

wife  dressed  for  your  little  girl.  We 
chose  one  that  we  thought  looked 
like  Hannah." 

"Oh,  but  that  is  kind  of  you!" 
Rose  looked  her  gratitude.  "Mrs. 
Lawrence  has  told  me  how  busy 

y'i 

both  you  and  your  wife  always  are — 
and  to  take  time  to  think  of  our  little 


1  had  intended  to  give  it  to  her 
Mr.  Jackson  continued, 
""but  after  her  talk  with  me  to-day  I" 
decided  she  would  enjoy  it  more  if 
I  asked  Santa  Claus  to  bring  it." 
His  eyes  twinkled  reminiscently. 
'She  called  me  up  by  telephone  and 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       47 

asked  me  to  give  Santa  Claus  a  treat- 
ment— she  seemed  to  think  that  he 
would  pass  her  by.  I  could  assure 
her  that  he  wouldn't,  as  I  had  already 
seen  the  doll.  Hannah  is  a  wonder- 
ful child." 

"We  think  so,"  smiled  Eli.    "I  am 
sure  we  thank  you,  and  wish  you  the 

?ery  merriest  Christmas." 
'It  will  be  a  happy  Christmas  for 
,"  he  answered.    "I  am  going  to 

ffie  station  to  meet  my  father  and 
mother.  Some  years  ago  they  felt 
estranged  from  me — they  are  both 
staunch  Presbyterians  of  the  old 
school  and  it  nearly  broke  their 


48       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

hearts  when  I  went  into  Christian 
Science  work.  But  they  are  begin- 
ning to  look  more  tolerantly  upon 
my  calling,  and  they  are  on  their  way 
now  to  spend  Christmas  with  us. 
You  can  guess  how  happy  that  makes 
me.  ' Peace  on  earth,  good  will  tc 
men' — -it  is  a  wonder-working 
/thought." 

"It  is  indeed,"  Eli  agreed  heartily. 

When  the  door  had  closed  upon 
their  visitor,  Rose  and  Eli  stood  st 
ing  at  each  other  rather  foolishly. 
She  was  the  first  to  speak :  "Is  there 
no  end  to  the  fight  between  the  old 
and  the  new  generation  ?" 


,-V; 


vl 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       49 

"We  are  just  beginning  the  scrap 
with  our  new  generation,"  he  said. 
"She  called  him  up  and  asked  for 
Christian  Science  help!  I  wonder 
what  else  that  little  monkey  has  been 
up  to?" 

They  soon  found,  out.  Carrying 
the  doll  Mr.  Jackson  had  brought, 

tiptoed  after  Eli  into  the  nurs-  ,... 
and  gradually  turned  on  the  light. 
:  first  object  to  meet  their  eyes 


? 

"was     Hannah's     stocking,     hangin 

precariously  to  a  pin  driven  into  the 
mantel.  Pinned  to  the  wall  were 
several  messages,  neatly  printed  in 
pencil,  which  told  their  own  tale: 


50       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

Deer  Santy  —  Nellie  babtized  me. 
Holy  wotter.  Hannah. 

Deer  Santy  —  I  want  things  in  my 
stockin.  Hannah. 

Deer  Santy  Claws  —  Ime  a  jentile. 
Nellie  babtize  me.  Ime  a  jentile 
cath-lic  C.  S.  Hannah. 

Deer  Santy  —  Bring  me  any  nice 
things  you  got  left.  With  love 

Hannah, 

Deer  Santy  —  Don't  let  my  Mama 
/and  my  Papa  get  mad  bout  you. 

Hannah. 

Eli  began  to  chortle,  and  Hannah 
%tirred  in  her  sleep,  throwing  both 

^  * 

chubby  arms  over  her  head.  Clutched 
tightly  in  her  left  hand  they  saw  a 
rosary  of  amethyst  colored  beads. 

Rose  snapped  off  the  light  and 
pushed  Eli  out  into  the  hall.  He  sat 


p 

Ci 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       51 

down  on  the  stairs  and  laughed 
until  he  cried.  "The  dog-gone  little 
mixer!"  he  chuckled.  "A  Gentile 
Catholic  Christian  Scientist  is  she? 
And  if  she  has  ever  happened  to  hear 
anything  about  Mahomet,  believe  me, 
she's  sleeping  with  her  feet  toward 
Mecca  right  now!" 

Rose  was  weeping  silently  over  the 
tie  message :    "Don't  let  my  Mama 
my  Papa  get  mad  bout  you." 
She   touched   her    husband    on    the 
shoulder,    "Eli,    what   shall    we   do 
about  it?" 

"Do?"     He  stood  up  and  set  his 
jaw  determinedly.     "You  spoke  just 


52       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

now  of  the  fight  between  the  old  and 
the  new  generations:  do  you  see 
what  we  are  coming  to  if  we  don't 
concede  our  child  her  legitimate 
rights.  She  will  seek  them  out,  and 
take  them  by  force,  and  never  for- 
give us  for  withholding  them,  that's 
1  • 

what!     Every  child   who  has   ever 

?yheard  of  Santa  Claus  has  a  right  to 

v^njoy  the  myth.    Didn't  I  give  a  hun- 

(f  ' 

J/<}red  dollars  to  the  Elks  and  a  hun- 

~dred  dollars  to  the  Big  Brothers  who" 
are  looking  after  the  empty  stockings 
of  the  poor  children,  while  my  own 

baby " 

He  had  reached  his  bedroom  door 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       53 

and  was  kicking  off  his  house  slip- 
pers. 

"Eli,  where  are  you  going?" 
"Down-town  to  see  Santa  Claus  if 
I  have  to  break  open  a  dozen  stores," 
he  answered  determinedly. 

It  seemed  that  Santa  Claus,  never 

/having  visited  Hannah  before,  had  a  ** 

\ 
lind  to  make  up  for  lost  time.    An  ' 

Jf\^pverflowing  stocking  hung  from  the 
mantel;  a  tree  loaded  with  presents 
and  tinsel  stood  by  her  bed ;  about  the 
room  were  placed  large  gifts,  every- 
thing a  little  girl  might  wish  for. 
Hannah  was  dazed.  She  didn't  see 


54       THE  LITTLE  MIXER 

her  mother  and  father  standing  in 
the  doorway  of  the  nursery,  their 
arms  about  each  other,  and  smiling. 
She  tugged  at  her  window  until  it 
opened  and  then  called  to  Nellie 
across  the  intervening  space. 

"He     came!       He     came!"     she 
screamed,  as  a  tousled,  flame-colored 
showed  at  the  window  opposite. 

Hannah  brushed  by  her  parents 
,  running  to  the  window  nearest 
Virginia's  room,  repeated  her  mes-. 
sage.  Then  she  came  back  into  the 
nursery,  still  oblivious  of  mother  and 
father,  and  stared  about  her  in 
ecstasy.  The  occasion  called  for 


8*4 


THE  LITTLE  MIXER       55 

some  expression  of  thanksgiving — 
what  could  it  be?  A  seven-year-old 
child  hasn't  words  for  such  a  big 
emotion.  She  could  think  of  but  one 
thing  to  do. 

Reverently  bowing  her  little  bronze 
head,  she  made  the  sign  of  the  cross 
— upside  down! 

f/  THE   END 


